The Best of Things
by GAforevermerder
Summary: The next generation goes to Hogwarts. Albus, Scorpius, Rose, and James discover growing up and finding friendship...and maybe even love along the way.
1. Nerves

_**Albus Severus-Train ride to Hogwarts September 1, 2017 **_

I sit next to Rose and James, who look far too relaxed. As I look out the window; my mother is blowing a kiss as she holds my father's hand. My father, the great Harry Potter, looks at me and smiles proudly. I waved to him confidently, I am going to Hogwarts. It's what I have always wanted.

Lily is crying, she is exactly two years away from taking her first journey to Hogwarts, to reassure her I wave at her and blow her a tiny kiss. I love my baby sister, what can I say? The train started to roll and I sit back, I glance at my family one more time, my mother has tears in her eyes. Her baby boy, going to Hogwarts, unbelievable she has been saying lately.

I sit back, and think about Hogwarts, how different it will be. James says it's amazing and wonderful, everything you could dream of. But here is the thing, James and I, we are completely different people. He is brave, bold, joking, athletic, and social. He is a true Gryffindor. Now I on the other hand, was not much of any of that. I consider myself reserved, smart, and compassionate. I can play Quidditch, but only a Seeker like my father. I am not brave or witty like the rest of my family seems to be. Lily is smart and sweet; father says she is just like mum. Me, I don't know where I fit in. All I know is I really want to be in Gryffindor, it's where the Potters seem to belong. But like I said, I am nothing like my siblings.

The train ride goes by faster than I hoped for. James and Fred ran off, playing jokes on other kids. Rose sits across from me, her head in a book. This year is her first year as well, although she does not look nervous whatsoever. "Rose?" I ask her.

"Yes, Al?" she responds as she pushes the book away.

"You nervous?" I question.

She shrugs and looks out the window. "Mum says her Hogwarts years were some of the best ones of her life. So no Al, I am not nervous, I am excited. You will be fine you know, ever since we were kids you were the strong one," Rose said, giving me a reassuring smile. Rose was so much like her mother, but she had a bit of a sense of humor like her father. Her red hair was bushy but it framed her face just right.

"I hope you are right," I told her.

"Aren't I always?" she says jokingly.

At that moment, I am graced with the presence of my cousins. Dominique, Louis, Victorie, and Molly open our compartment. "Your brother is running amuck already," Dominique informs me.

I roll my eyes, this certainly is not news. "What else is news? Are we almost to Hogwarts?" I ask them.

My cousins laugh. "Why you nervous?" Louis asks. Louis is his second year, and is afraid of no one and nothing. He loves adventure, he reminds me of my uncle Charlie. Louis will do any bet, guaranteed.

I shrug. "Maybe," I say.

Victorie, now a seventh year takes a seat next to me, puts her arms around my shoulders. "Albus, you will be fine. Trust me," Victorie said. When Victorie said something, you could not help but believe her, she is sweet and kind. She is perfect for Teddy, the best god brother in the world.

"Besides, you're a Potter, you will have no trouble fitting in," Dominique said patting me on the shoulder, giving me a smile. Dominique is a fourth year; she is smart and loves to talk. Dom is popular and a chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Molly gives a shy laugh and nods. "Albus, we'll all do fine," she assures me. Molly is only a first year like me; and is just like grand-mum.

"Thanks guys," I say.

At that moment James comes running into our compartment, he throws something that gives off a terrible odor, Fred gives him a high five. Louis runs after then, ruffling Fred's hair amusingly. I laugh and turn back to the window. I see Hogwarts. I've been there before, for the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but never before had I realized how magnificent it was. It was truly a beautiful sight.

**First chapter, I plan on switching points of views, but there will probably by a lot of Albus, Rose, Victorie, James, and Scorpius. If you like the story, please review and let me know! **


	2. Not So Lonely Anymore

_**Scorpius Malfoy-September 1, 2017 **_

The train ride was almost…lonely. I get off the train and know I am on my own. That's the way things have always been though. I am loved by my mother and father, and I love them, but they expected so much of me. Although, everyone else around me seems to hate me, my last name was Malfoy. Apparently, way back when, my grandfather was a Death Eater. I don't know him. He is in Azkaban. My grandmother misses him; she claims he was a good man. But if he was such a good man, how come I get so much slack for being a Malfoy. Sometimes, it seems I have no one.

I get off the train and grab my things. A large man with a graying beard and a large smile is calling for first years, I immediately go towards him. I recognize him from when my father used to talk about him, Hagrid. A girl ahead of me dropped the book she was holding, I pick it up for her and hand it to her. "Here you are," I say friendly.

She has red hair, and freckles, her blue eyes seem to sparkle. "Your name is?" she asks immediately.

The boy standing next to her turns to me. He has jet black hair and green eyes, like strikingly green eyes. I know who he is; I have seen him in the newspaper. It's the son of the famous Harry Potter, Albus Potter. "Scorpius…Malfoy," I tell her, almost ashamed.

My last name seems to faze her a bit before she shrugs and smiles back. "I am Rose, Rose Weasley and this is Albus Potter," she says as she shakes my hand.

Albus holds up his hand as if to say hi, he looks weary of me. He knows about my father. My father has told me all about Harry Potter, my father always respected Harry—but in a jealous way.

"See you inside!" Rose says before the pair of them run off to meet up with a bunch of red headed kids. I assume the rest of the Weasley's and Potters.

I get a seat in a row boat that magically rows itself, Hagrid guides us though the dark lake. The castle looks simply enchanting. I look over to see Albus sitting across from a round face girl, he looks nervous. I feel the same way. My entire family was in Slytherin, I worry about which house I will be put into, and pleasing my father is my biggest worry. I suck in a deep breath and take it in; it's now or never right?

We are all guided into the Great Hall, the ceiling is simply enchanting. Everyone watches as we walk in the direction of the sorting hat. I feel alone now more than ever; my heart starts to pound as the Headmistress starts to read off names. I watch as child after child gets sorted, the sorting hat takes no longer than a minute for everyone. "Longbottom, Alice," Headmistress McGonagall says proudly. One of the professor's names is Longbottom, how great would it be to be a professor's kid? Although, she did not look pleased as her father stood up to clap.

The sorting hat took it's time with Alice. "Father a Gryffindor, mother a Hufflepuff, but both those don't seem to fit you," the sorting hat said aloud. Alice closed her eyes nervously. "Ravenclaw!" the sorting hat shouted. Relief flooded Alice's face, and her father beamed. It looked as if he did not care what house she was in, wish my father was like that.

In no time, my name was called. I shakily got onto the stool, all eyes were on me. They knew my father. They knew my family had an immoral history. I want to scream, I want to tell them how I am nothing like my family. I find Rose in the crowd, she gives me a smile, and her smile gives me courage. The sorting hat is placed on my head, and I close my eyes. _Anything to make my father proud, _I think clearly.

"Family loyalties?" the Sorting Hat says aloud. "Ha…a Malfoy ay? You have a different mind then the rest of your blood-line. Very different, you seem to possess a little of every house though. I see brains, oh yes your smart, and I see a caring side but you are bold and electric. You must be…Gryffindor!" the hat shouts.

I almost faint of shock. A Gryffindor? My entire family was in Slytherin. What will father say? I wonder as I walk to the Gryffindor table. A few Gryffindor's pat me on the back, but for the most part they look at me as if I am out of place.

Potter is housed next. Albus sat up there for a full five minutes before the hat decided. "Another Potter, a great Potter. I see Slytherin in you…but you seem to see that as a bad thing. It's not Potter. Just like your father you are. But just as him, I see strength and compassion in you, I think you will make a fine Gryffindor!" the hat says.

Albus smiles proudly and gives Hagrid big thumbs up before running to the table and taking a seat across from me next to his brother, James Potter. James pats him on the back proudly.

It's a long time before Rose is called, her cousin, Molly also gets sorted into Gryffindor. She joins her cousins and sits down. Rose calmly takes a seat, I can't help but hope she gets sorted into Gryffindor; she was the only person who went out of their way to be nice to me.

"Just like your mother, this one is easy, you're a Weasley, Gryffindor!" the hat shouts, Rose jumps off the stool and sits between her cousins Rose and Albus.

"Congratulations," I tell her.

She smiles warmly. "You too Scorpius," she says.

Maybe, just maybe, I won't have to feel so lonely anymore. From that moment on I made it a resolution to not care what my father thinks.

**Hope you liked, please review! My other Harry Potter fanfiction is called 'Got Me Falling For You' with Harry and Ginny, please check it out! **


	3. Where it Begins

_**Rose Weasley-September 1, 2017**_

I am in Gryffindor house; I could not be more excited. My first feast at Hogwarts was magnificent. I watch as James and Fred have another eating contest, I laugh along with Albus as they pig out. Even as children, James and Fred always acted like they were years younger than they actually were.

I look across to Scorpius, who was watching the eating contest with a smile; he seems so warm and friendly. Nothing like my father described how the Malfoy family was. He has blonde hair, with warm brown eyes. "So Scorpius, were you hoping on Gryffindor?" I ask him, curiously.

All eyes turn to him, I immediately feel guilty for putting him on the spot. "Honestly, I don't know what I was hoping for, but I have a feeling Gryffindor might be alright for me," Scorpius says kindly.

My cousin, Louis, slaps Scorpius on the back. "Our families might have been enemies' way back when, but you seem alright," Louis says.

Victorie nudges Louis in the side. "I am sorry Scorpius, Louis does not have boundaries. He says what is on his mind, don't listen to him. Gryffindor house is glad to have you!"

Scorpius looks uncomfortable, and then looks down at his plate. "I am not my father, just so you all know," Scorpius says with what seems like a fair amount of courage.

I admire that, he stood up for himself. "You are a true Gryffindor," Fred says as he high fives Scorpius.

"Thanks," Scorpius says more confidently.

We are guided to our dormitories after dinner, I find that I share my dormitory with Molly, my cousin, Grace who is the daughter of my parents close friends Dean and Parvati, and my third roommate, Anna, is the daughter of Oliver Wood and Katie Bell, also my parents' friends. We all grew up together, what could be better?

Albus got into a dorm with Scorpius and Will, who was Graces' twin brother. He seemed content with his roommates. In the thirty minutes we took to get settled in Scorpius, Will, and Albus seemed friendly with each other. They all came into the common room smiling and talking, this was home now. Although, my heart did a pang for my brother, Hugo, and my parents. Hugo will be here soon, in two years, I missed him already. "Wow, this is…amazing," Grace said as she took a seat next to me in the common room.

Molly sat across from us and laughed. "You can say that again," Molly laughed.

Albus, Scorpius, and Will sat down by the fireplace. Anna's cheeks go red as Albus sits down close to her, since I can remember Anna has had a crush on Albus. Albus still remained completely oblivious to her affections, and Anna was shy enough to want it to remain that way.

We ended the night playing wizarding chess. I beat Scorpius—twice— but he did not seem bitter. After we bade the boy's goodnight, I found my way into my bed. I laid awake for what seemed like hours, thinking about family, friends, and finally being here at Hogwarts. This is where is begins.

**Please review if you like this story! **


	4. Finding Belonging

_**Albus **_

"Magic can be bright and beautiful. You can have someone falsely fall in love with you. You can make your worst fears turn into butterflies, but magic is also dark. Magic can be dark but powerful. It can hurt you, it can make you lose your mind, and it can get you killed. In here you will learn how to protect yourself, because you never know when a situation might arise when you would need it," Professor Creevy said.

Chills ran down my spine. Professor Creevy looked at me quickly then glanced away. "Any questions?" asked Professor Creevy.

A kids hand in the back shot up. "Yes, Mr.?"

"Charlie Jordan, sir," the kid said aloud.

"Ahh, Lee Jordan's son, do tell your father Dennis Creevy says hello. On another note, what was your question?" Professor Creevy asked.

"Yes, I just…just wanted to know, did you fight in the Battle at Hogwarts?" Charlie spat out.

Professor cleared his throat. "Yes, I was there along with your father and a few other parents in this room. I can tell you one thing, nothing prepares you for that. I hope none of you have to go through it, but I am here just in case. I will teach you and you will learn. Harry Potter once said to me that, _all great wizards start off as students, if they can do it why can't we?" _

Of course everyone in the class turns to me. "Face front," Professor called, and I gave him a grateful look. I did not ask to be born to the most famous wizard of all time, it just happened, he is my father it's time people stopped caring so much.

"As I was saying, magic is wonderful but all too threatening. Today class, we are going to start off with an _Incendio_ charm, which simply produces fire. I know, it's not all that fun but I believe it's best to start out small and work our way up. Now, if a fire is started simply flourish your wand and flick.

Rose was first to master the charm, setting a stack of papers on fire. She immediately stopped the fire when she received praise from Professor Creevy. Scorpius—who was named my partner for the rest of the term—got it down quickly. It took me a few tries, but I finally got it. Although unfortunately, I set a lampshade on fire. Professor simply laughed and extinguished the flames.

"Next week will be something more complicated, read pages twelve to fifteen for homework, class dismissed!" Professor Creevy said, smiling slightly.

I walked out of class with Scorpius; Will decided to hurry off to lunch, promising us a seat. "You are a fast learner, good job in there," I told him, clapping him on the back.

Scorpius shrugged. "Not as quick as your cousin," he said, speaking of Rose.

I laughed, Rose is Rose. "She's a genius," I told him.

Just then, Rose and her friends came up behind me laughing. "Who is a genius?" she asked.

Scorpius shrugged. "No one, how do you like the professor?" he asked, changing the subject.

Rose and Grace giggled. "I think he is bloody brilliant," Grace said bluntly.

Molly nods eagerly. "My father always speaks of him so fondly, after all this time I believe him," she adds.

Rose smiles warmly at Scorpius and I. "He is pretty great, we must get going on that homework though. See you later, boys!" she says as they run off down the corridor. Typical Rose, we just received the homework ten minutes ago.

Scorpius turns to me and smiles. "I think I could get used to this place," he says.

"I think I could too," I reply. Suddenly, every worry vanished. I found a place where I belong.

**So if you like this story please review! Thank you for reading! **


	5. The Softer Side

**James Potter**

The owlery is quiet; it is early in the morning, before any of the other students get up. Some days I walk up here and just write. I write to Lily. To my mother and father. To my grandmum and grandpa. What my friends would say if they saw me up here, _the jock James Potter writing letters home. _Silently I smile, I am grateful for this time alone.

First, I receive two letters. The first I open to find it's from Lily:

_James, _

_Dad informed me that you already got in trouble. Neville notified dad that you, set off stink bombs in Al's dormitory. Nice one, brother. Anyways, things are same as always around here. Although, it's lonely here without you and Albus, I do miss you two, strangely. I'll see you during the holidays, remember your promise: to write me every week. I'll be missing you. _

_ Love, _

_ Lily Luna Potter_

I smile as I read her letter. Professor Longbottom, who is the head of Gryffindor house, is always calling home telling mum and dad of my wrongdoings. I feel bad for Lily, being alone with mum and dad. Although dad is probably treating her like a princess, even more than before. I promised my baby sister I would write to her once a week, and I don't break promises.

The next letter is from mum:

James,

No surprise that you already found trouble. Do we have to talk about this? Because your father will come there to talk to you. James, give your brother a break. You two are at school now, not running around the house like a bunch of three year olds. Although, your father and I miss those days.

I hope your year is going well. Watch out for your brother, your father seems to be very worried about him. I have confidence though; your brother will find his way. Have a good week; we are always here if you need us. We love you. We miss you.

Love,

Your Mother

P.S.-I am going to tell your Uncle George to stop giving you his "joking devices" if you don't stop with the pranks.

I sigh, typical mum. Worried as heck about Albus. Doesn't she know I won't let anything happen to my brother, unless it's me simply putting a stink bomb in his bed? I miss them. I miss the way my father ruffles my hair in the mornings; I miss mums cooking, and Lily's smiles.

I write back quick replies, and then leave the owlery. I find Fred sitting next to Rose in the common room. "Mate! Where you been? You ready to go?" he asked as he gets up.

"You ready to do this?" I ask him.

It's the first week of school. The students need some excitement. And Fred and I are the ones to do it. "You know it," Fred says as he claps me on the back.

Rose rolls her eyes and goes back to her book. "Getting up early to read Rosie?" I ask her jokingly.

Rose shakes her head. "It's better than getting up early to cause trouble!" Rose says as she walks out of the portrait hole.

I laugh. I may write letters, telling my family I love them and miss them. But hey, a little laugh is what I live for.

**Softer side to James? Yes, for sure. Review please!**


	6. What About You?

_**Scorpius**_

I sit by the window, in a small alcove in my dormitory. Will and Albus are both asleep. Hogwarts really lights up at night, it's magnificent. I take a deep breath and think about the last few days: the teachers, James Potter's jokes, Al's friendliness towards me, and Rose's smile. Thoughts that make me smile. I really do love Hogwarts already. It's my home.

Just then there is a tap at the window, and I find and owl holding a letter. Nervously, I reach out and take it. I know who it's from—my father. I take a deep breath and rip open the envelope.

Scorpius,

Your mother and I were informed this morning that you were placed in Gryffindor House. To say the least, I am shocked. Your mother does not seem fazed, she is proud of you. But me, I don't know, I expected Slytherin for you—my son. It's in your blood. I think the sorting hat could have made a better choice. But you are my son, and I am here, even if I am disappointed. Have a great term.

Love,

Draco Malfoy

I think I would rather him to be mad. I hate the words on the page. He is not proud. He is disappointed. I throw the entire parchment into the fire, the words sting. Not proud? How can I make him proud? Gryffindor is me, Slytherin is not. I tell myself this over and over again.

"Scorpius? You still up?" Albus voice asks.

My eyes sting and I try to blink back the tears. "Yeah…I'm—I'm going to bed right now. Go back to sleep," I tell him as calmly as I can manage.

I did not fool Albus. "What's wrong?" he asks. He genuinely seems concerned.

Why should I trust him? I barely know him. But I do know he gave me a chance and he is kind. But it does not matter; my problems are mine to deal with. "It's nothing," I whisper back.

"Scorpius…I understand. If you ever need to talk, you can trust me," he says as he tucks back into his bed.

"Albus?" I say immediately.

"My father…he is ashamed. I belong in Slytherin," I spit out.

Albus is silent for a minute; I almost think he fell back asleep. "I know you want to do right by your father, but you are your own person. I am so different from my family, and somehow I found my place. Scorpius, you're not your father, so don't worry what he has to say. He will accept the fact you are in Gryffindor, he will. But are _you_ happy to be in Gryffindor?" he whispers.

I climb onto my bed. I think about Albus' question. What about _me_? "Yeah, I am. I am happy to be in Gryffindor," I tell him finally with confidence.

"Then that's all that matters," Albus tells me.

I think about my father's words, and Albus' words. I realize that Albus is right. It's my life. "Goodnight Al, thanks," I tell him.

"Anytime," I hear Albus reply.

It is then when I realize that Albus is the truest friend I have ever had. And I can't be more grateful.


End file.
